5 Ways to Amp Up Your Creativity

Whether you are in a brainstorming rut or feel too exhausted to muster up a germ of imagination, here are five action-oriented steps to propel you to the creativity big leagues:

1. Take a New Route To and From Work

Inventor Scott A. Jones explains, “Doing something different every day gets you in the habit of stretching your behaviors and keeps your brain from…making mind-confining assumptions about how things are supposed to be done.”

2. Give Your Brain a Newton Moment

It is a simple equation: if you have no time to think, there will be no new ideas. Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity while sitting under an apple tree. Albert Einstein came up with the theory of relativity while riding a bicycle. Take some time away from your desk to think. It could be in the car (with music off) or on a walk outside with your child, but make it happen daily.

3. Exercise Your Curiosity

Every time you have a personal interaction (at your child’s soccer game or the new client meeting) delve into new areas with open-ended questions. From “How do you keep your energy up?” to “How did you come up with that new concept?” asking and listening will offer you something new to think about.

4. Don’t Sleep On It

Neuroscience suggests that the brain is hard at work while we sleep. We come up with some of our best ideas while we sleep so keep an “Ideas Notebook” next to your bed and scribble in it when you wake up with a new thought. This will help you slip back to slumber with a clear mind – and without losing that the next big idea.